The Queen Will Betray You by. Sarah Henning | ARC Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Queen Will Betray You

Author: Sarah Henning

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Tor Teen

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Political Intrigue

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

The breathtaking sequel to The Princess Will Save You in the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky duology — a brilliantly-executed YA fantasy homage to The Princess Bride

To stay together forever, Princess Amarande and her stableboy love, Luca, must part: Amarande to reclaim her kingdom from usurpers, and Luca to raise a rebellion and find his destiny. Arrayed against them are all the players in the game of thrones for control over the continent of The Sand and Sky. Facing unspeakable betrayals, enemies hidden in the shadows, and insurmountable odds, their only hope is the power of true love…

In this sequel to The Princess Will Save You, the political chess continues! Ama and Luca are separated throughout most of this story but they reunite near the end. Amarande has really uncovered a lot of secrets about her family, some good and some bad. Luca also learns more about his past. They achieve what they planned to do and maintain their sweet love for one another throughout because it’s true love! The Princess Bride fans will know what that refers to!

Now the person I thought was the most intriguing in this story, which surprised even me because he’s a villain, is Prince Taillefer. He did some vile things to Luca and obviously he’s in it for his own gains but he had no qualms playing the long game to get his kingdom even if it was against his own mother. That whole family was pretty toxic but as a character, he was the most fascinating.

There is a lot of action in this sequel, especially towards the end and that was fun to read.

Triggers: violence, death

The Warlord in this sequel is brutal and quite unexpected because for the most part it reads like a light young adult fantasy novel (to me at least). I welcomed the brutality from the Warlord just to lend the story some intensity but yeah, it definitely showed the depths the Warlord was willing to go to show her power.

Speaking of warlord, there are a lot of villains and political intrigue in this story. I thought it definitely kept the story moving as we uncover betrayals and personal motivations from the players in this fight for kingdoms. Not even blood ties can keep you safe, like in the case of Prince Taillefer and his family. Who can really be trusted? Even Ama and her own mother had history to deal with.

Ama and Luca get their true love moment and even Prince Traillefer gets his way in the end . It leaves everything fair and square and the bigger villains vanquished. I think as a duology it was fairly enjoyable, with some parts that resembled The Princess Bride. I found the villains fascinating and the love story sweet. Overall, if you like political intrigue and a dash of true love – you may enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Six Crimson Cranes by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Title: Six Crimson Cranes

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: ebook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Knopf

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale, Family, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Knopf for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

I was hooked from the first chapter and never let go. This is the second series I’ve read from Elizabeth Lim and I will say it again, she writes beautifully. I love how her stories read like fairytales. The story is beautifully written and flows so nicely. As the author states, this is a reimagined story of “The Wild Swans” by Hans Christian Anderson but she wove other Asian folklore into the story which makes it so rich and such a fantastic adventure.

Shiori is the youngest of seven children and being the only girl, she’s been protected and indulged. She loves her family, her six brothers, her doting dad and once upon a time she even loved her stepmother. It’s this tense relationship with her stepmother that sets Shiori on an unexpected and challenging journey. Shiori really grows from being cursed – she sees how she took a lot of things for granted, and how much she loves her family. Now it’s her turn to do her part in saving her brothers. She realizes too late though the person who has betrayed her is the very one protecting her.

There is magic in this book and dragons, especially a dragon named Seryu who has a lot of personality. This is a story about family and the bond they share through thick and thin. There is betrayal. There is also an evil enchanter who wants to free the demons trapped in a mountain and events that take place to ensure it from not happening but the plan goes haywire. And of course there is romance which made my heart melt a little. This book really had everything and I could not put the book down once I started.

Remember how the Spin the Dawn series had demons? This is set in the same world as Spin the Dawn! I loved Spin the Dawn but I didn’t love Unravel the Dusk so I am hoping so hard that the sequel for Six Crimson Cranes doesn’t disappoint me. The ending sets up another amazing adventure for Shiori and I can’t wait to see who the dragon pearl really belongs to!

This is the kind of fantasy I’ve been craving to read lately and it checked all my boxes! An asian retelling of a western fairytale but with dragons, demons, brothers that change into cranes, family love, betrayal, a girl who has magic but is cursed, and a girl who is falling in love with the boy she had been avoiding all her life. I couldn’t put down the book and I already need the second one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

This Coven Won’t Break by. Isabel Sterling | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: This Coven Won’t Break (These Witches Don’t Burn, #2)

Author: Isabel Sterling

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 321

Publication Date: 5/19/20

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Witches, Romance, Duology, Paranormal, LGBT

In this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don’t Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic.

Hannah Walsh just wants a normal life. It’s her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn’t exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.

When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she’s desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have—their power—Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she’s one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.

Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan’s magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can’t figure out how to save her—and the rest of the Witches—she’ll lose everything she’s ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?

This series reminds me of the paranormal books that started my obsession with the genre and everything in it since I was a teenager. It has the witches and witch hunters who are enemies. The beauty of this one that the books I read as a teenager didn’t have is the lgbt romance.

I didn’t re-read book one but I could kind of remember what happened in it just by jumping into book two. Hannah is now with Morgan, a Blood Witch – the kind of witch even Hannah’s coven looked down upon for ages. But Hannah and Morgan make it work because they are seriously into one another.

The story is a light, quick read, with a race against finding the poison the witch hunters have concocted to remove magic from all witches. Hannah also has to figure out what has happened to her magic and why Blood Witch magic can actually help her and not harm her.

Triggers: violence

I did enjoy the first book more than this one but I still think this was a solid conclusion. I mentioned it was nostalgic and reminds me of paranormal books from the years ago and yes it gives me that fun, light, thrilling vibe where we are in it with the characters to stop disaster from happening. It would make a fun tv show!

I thought Benton turning around to help Hannah in this one seemed like a stretch. Yes he was conditioned and brainwashed by his parents and then all of a sudden he realizes it wasn’t all supposed to happen this way? He wasn’t supposed to burn her at the stake? I wouldn’t have forgiven him so easily haha. And the betrayal at the end by the true villain felt rushed.

I’m all for witch stories and this one is not only witchy but it has a lot of LGBT representation. The f/f romance is sweet, now that Hannah is over her ex Veronica. Overall, I thought this was a light, quick read and a solid ending to a fun, paranormal duology.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Year of the Chameleon 3 by. Shannon Mayer | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Year of the Chameleon 3 (Shadowspell Academy, #6)

Author: Shannon Mayer

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 302

Publication Date: 2/26/21

Publisher: Hijinks Ink Publishing

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

You Don’t Choose the Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

Broken, bruised, and battered beyond anything else, I’ve survived what I shouldn’t have.

But my day isn’t done yet. We finally have the key to stopping Frost—literally. Even if we don’t know how to use it.

One last time my friends and I have to scour not only the city but the supernatural world to find the pieces of this final puzzle—and we have three days to do it.

One final showdown brings us back to where it all began, and I face off against the woman who killed my brother. Who hunted my mother down. Who broke my uncle’s spirit.

If I cannot find the final pieces, then I will fail. And if I fail, Frost wins, and we are all doomed.

No pressure.

No pressure at all.

This book picks up right away from the last one and Wild and her friends are in the thick of things. It’s a fast-paced story and doesn’t let up until the end of the book.

Rory finally realizes he loves Wild so I’m glad that finally was resolved. We knew from the start they belonged together, right? It was just a matter of him realizing it.

The gang is back and ready to help Wild take down Frost. One of the best things about this series was about the friendship and found family Wild has with all these kids from different houses. This stays true to the end of the book.

I’m glad this series is over since I was already feeling impatient with it in the last book. Book five and six could have been combined basically but I know that’s not how it works. I’m glad we get Rory and Wild finally together. Wild and her friends find a way to accomplish their goals and overall it was a fun series, my favorites being the first three books.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by. Kristin Harmel | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Author: Kristin Harmel

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Gallery Books

Categories: Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Survival

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Gallery Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel.

This reads like a fairytale, at least in the beginning when Yona is taken from her biological family to be raised in the woods. I almost thought I was reading a magical realism book instead of historical fiction but we get to that part soon enough.
Yona is a young woman raised without interacting with other people except for one person, her caretaker, Jerusza. Jerusza is an elderly woman who knows how to survive the forests in Europe. Jerusza is Jewish but also worldly about many cultures and religions and she teaches Yona about everything she can, but why? Jerusza has seen the future, is more in tuned with the mystical elements of the world, maybe because of her life in the forest, and knows what is coming with the German Nazis. So she prepares Yona for what is coming.
When Jewish people flee the ghettos the Nazis have trapped them, some try to flee into the forest and that is where Yona finds her purpose. She teaches these groups how to survive living in the forest. I found the focus of this story quite unique because of Yona, her disconnect from the world and then being introduced to the horrors of it when she finally interacts with people coming in the forest. I love how the forest gave them everything they needed at a time when Jewish people were losing everything: jobs, family, friends, homes, loved ones, dignity, their way of life.
There is a little romance in this story despite how awful the circumstances but I thought it was nice it didn’t become the sole focus of the story. Yona is learning how to interact with others and belong with a group. She is trying to find out who she is after being by herself for so long and there are some harsh life lessons to learn. Despite everything that happens I love that Yona is smart, strong, optimistic and practical.
I love the overall message of this story. It’s not only one of survival but identity too. It’s also a reminder of how cruel and ruthless hate could turn people against one another and the everlasting trauma the Holocaust had on families that survived. A reminder that generations of families were wiped out.

Triggers: violence, death, kidnapping

I think the premise of this story is very unique, it almost has a mystical feel to it with Jerusza but it is intertwined with in real historical events. If you read the Author’s Notes in the back, the history of the Bielski brothers making camp in the forest during WWII is as gripping as the fictional story the author gave us.

This is the first book I’ve read from Kristin Harmel and it is an epic story. I learned a lot, and was reminded once more what survival was like in World War II for so many people and how much was lost in a span of a few years. This story was heartbreaking, and yet still full of hope. It’s a great book for someone who loves reading history or World War II stories and want something with a unique perspective.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Chasing Lucky by. Jenn Bennett | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Chasing Lucky

Author: Jenn Bennett

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 11/10/20

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…

It’s been awhile since I read a Jenn Bennett book so I was happy to find this one at my library!

Josie and her mother return back to their hometown after leaving years ago. Her mom and grandma doesn’t have the best relationship and Josie’s dad is a famous photographer who she hardly sees but Josie has a plan to one day leave and go be with him.

Coming back to Beauty, Josie runs into her old best friend, Lucky. He is the town’s bad boy now mostly due to some rumors and the way he dresses (leather jacket) and he rides a motorcycle (these boys always get the bad rep). From the first staring contest between them you can feel the sparks flying. But something happens and Lucky takes the fall for her and Josie doesn’t know why.

There’s a lot of family drama in Josie’s life. Her mom has a bad woman reputation in the town, her grandma and mom have a tense relationship, and she has a dad who is basically non-existent in her life but she wants a relationship with him. This whole story was about communication or the lack there of – Josie and her mom doesn’t communicate, her mom usually flees a town and dates a lot to avoid problems. Josie hasn’t really had close relationships since bouncing from town to town – so the closest friend she has is her cousin Evie. Josie’s lying to her mom about a lot of things too. And of course, the communication between Lucky and her is sometimes good, sometimes bad when there are walls between them. But Josie learns to get better at communication and that’s the main thing.

The thing I loved about Lucky and Josie was that they stuck it out and talked – even when it was difficult to get a conversation started. They got angry with one another and even would push so much that one person would shut down (usually Lucky)…but they also cared about one another so much that they couldn’t stay away from one another and wanted to make it work.

Triggers: Bullying, Slut-Shaming

Why was Evie with Adrian? He was such a jerk yet she kept going back to him but he really had no redeeming qualities. He played the villain I suppose but honestly Josie already had enough issues to deal with her mom and dad situation that even without Adrian it would have been enough drama for her to sort through.

Some of the family drama felt unnecessary like the mystery of who Drew was – did Josie and Lucky really have to fight about that?

There is a sex scene but it is not detailed and really it’s like a paragraph long.

Josie has a lot on her plate with high school coming to a close and her plans of leaving her mom is stalled by some events. But these events and Lucky teach her that running away isn’t the only way to deal with a situation. I liked Josie, and I loved Lucky. The drama might have been a tad bit too much for me at times but I still enjoyed the story. It’s not my favorite of Jenn Bennett’s but she definitely has a way of making me want to read a book to the end just to watch two characters fall in love.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Accidentally Engaged by. Farah Heron | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Accidentally Engaged

Author: Farah Heron

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 357

Publication Date: 3/2/21

Publisher: Forever

Categories: Romance, Cooking, Family, Fake-Dating, Muslim/Indian Representation, Contemporary

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall–with hopes that Reena will marry him.

But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.

As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

First off I liked that this book had characters that are Muslim and Indian, but Indians who have “double” immigrated, as Nadim in the book pointed out to Reena. Their parents left India, move to Tanzania and then to Canada. In Nadim’s case he triple immigrated because he also went to boarding school in London. So it was very eye opening for me to learn about Tanzania, even though this story is set in Canada.

Learning about the culture also means getting to read about the foods these characters were always eating. Reena is obsessed with making sourdough, it’s her greatest passion right now and she needs a passion when she finds her job as an accountant so dull. Outside of the sourdough though, Reena and her mom is constantly making Indian food, some with a Tanzanian twist because of Nadim – but yes I loved all the foodie content in this story. Yum! But yes, Reena enters this cooking contest (where she needs a partner), because she wants to win and go to a cooking school – it’s where the magic between her and Nadim happen.

Reena is Indian and her family is very involved in her life, there is so much pressure to be successful which in her parents minds means married and with a good job. They try to set her up with Nadim, but Reena isn’t down with her parents finding her a husband. There is also a lot of family drama with Reena’s sister – the two had some issues in the past and haven’t resolved them yet. For parents that are very involved in their children’s lives, there are a lot of secrets in this family and they only get closer as a family once the truth is out.

The romance between Nadim and Reena goes from fake-dating to casual dating to happily ever after. Nadim is very charming, sweet, and so easy going. Reena is the same as well so their relationship always felt light and not too stressful even when a secret about Nadim is revealed. They made a cute couple that seemed to get along well and bonded over food and understanding family drama.

Triggers: family pressure

I don’t know the Islam religion very well but there were a few things in the story that made me pause and think…oh okay – so this family doesn’t follow strict rules? Or is this normal? I’m not sure because I’m not Muslim. After I read the book, I read some reviews on it and at least on Goodreads, I saw many Muslim readers who did not approve of how they were portrayed. I understand no one is perfect and these characters are portrayed as being very real, imperfect people – but I did need a little clarity on that and glad those readers spoke out in their reviews.

The beginning was a little slow, I think it picked up when secrets started being revealed but before that, it seemed just light and easy going.

Maybe a little spoiler? But there a lice situation and maybe a foot fetish on Nadim’s part? For me it was weird and awkward haha – I think it was supposed to be funny lice? No…not sexy! You know Nadim is charming, very flirty but I just felt like I couldn’t trust him even by the end of the story. Maybe because the romance never got super deep for either of them and the secrets of course.

Some mental health issues are mentioned in the book but super quick. Would have like to learn more about that.

I definitely enjoyed all the mentions of food and cooking scenes. Also learning about Indians from Tanzania was eye-opening! Getting to know Reena and her family was interesting and her friends are great. I think the romance in this is cute and light but I felt like it was missing some spark. Overall it was just an okay read for me.

📚~ Yolanda

Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy | Book Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Pumpkin (Dumplin’, #3)

Author: Julie Murphy

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/25/21

Publisher: Blazer + Bray

Categories: Young Adult, Body Image, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Coming of Age, Small Town, Contemporary

Waylon Russell Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. His plan is to bide his time until he can graduate, move to Austin with his twin sister, Clementine, and finally go Full Waylon, so that he can live his Julie-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music-Andrews truth.

So when Clementine deviates from their master plan right after Waylon gets dumped, he throws caution to the wind and creates an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show, Fiercest of Them All. What he doesn’t count on is the tape accidentally getting shared with the entire school. . . . As a result, Waylon is nominated for prom queen as a joke. Clem’s girlfriend, Hannah Perez, also receives a joke nomination for prom king.

Waylon and Hannah decide there’s only one thing to do: run—and leave high school with a bang. A very glittery bang. Along the way, Waylon discovers that there is a lot more to running for prom court than campaign posters and plastic crowns, especially when he has to spend so much time with the very cute and infuriating prom king nominee Tucker Watson.

Waylon will need to learn that the best plan for tomorrow is living for today . . . especially with the help of some fellow queens. . . .

I watched the movie Dumplin’ but never read the books and didn’t even know there was a book two! But I loved the cover of this one and decided to borrow it. I’m glad I did!

Waylon is fat, gay and has plans to leave the small town he’s from after graduation. Luckily he has a very supportive family and a lesbian twin sister, who is his best friend. He thought he knew his plans for life after high school but plans are changing and maybe for the better, though it doesn’t seem like it at first.

I loved a lot of things about this book. We meet Waylon, who is gay and out of the closet but still holding back a little and still exploring everything about his sexuality. He’s meeting guys, but still wants to meet the guy who won’t be ashamed to be with him in public. He is trying out drag, even though he doesn’t know how to put on makeup and enjoys being on stage. Waylon’s family is awesome. They are so super supportive from his grandparents down to his twin sister who is also part of the LGBT+ community. She has a girlfriend Hannah, who I believe was in Dumplin’.

We have a lot of representation and diversity in this story. There is an LGBT school club called Prism and mind you, this story is set in a small town in Texas. There is a m/m couple, and a f/f couple, which I adored because these couples were in loving relationships and we get to see that love. And of course there is a drag show – I feel like there should always be a drag show in this series!

Waylon doesn’t only deal with being gay but being fat as well. For the most part he is confident about himself until he is with his ex-friend Kyle who used to be fat and lost weight or if he’s an event where his body would be exposed, like the pool. But mostly Waylon doesn’t let it stop him from living. He is a good son, grandson and brother – he’s funny and charming.

I enjoyed the romance! For one, his sister, Clem and her girlfriend Hannah, are the whole opposites attract cuteness. Waylon has some prospects as well and the chemistry with Tucker is heart-thumping! I mean, Tucker was flirting-flirting! I totally understood Waylon’s insecurities about the whole thing though.

Triggers: bullying, body shaming, homophobia, alcoholism

Waylon has a supportive group of people in his family, but at school it’s a little bit different. He doesn’t do anything to stand out and say he’s gay – he tries to blend in, even though he is out of the closet. Many of the jocks bully him about being fat and gay – that’s why it was interesting to see Tucker’s reaction to it all, since he was a jock too or friends with them.

Kind of wished I read the two previous books because I don’t know if I missed anything? I felt like I did because there is a cast of characters I don’t remember such as, Millie and Callie. But even without reading the books, I enjoyed Pumpkin a lot.

Overall I thought this book was fun, heartfelt, well-written and a joy to read. I cared about Waylon and his lovely family and the sparks between him and Tucker were undeniable. It has a happy ending and this should definitely be made into a movie like Dumplin’.

📚~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book:

Ground shifts around you and you figure out the fastest way to fall is to stand still. But sometimes when we know we need to take a leap, we’re jumping off the wrong cliffs.”
-Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy

You gotta get it wrong before you can get it right.”
-Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy

When the world isn’t selling what you’re looking to buy, you just have to take it upon yourself to cut your own pattern.”
-Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy

Plot Twist | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 STARS

Title: Plot Twist

Author: Bethany Turner

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 6/14/21

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Categories: Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Friendship

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

February 4, 2003, is just another day for Olivia Ross—a greeting card writer whose passion project is a screenplay of her own. After she and a handsome, struggling actor have a near-magic encounter in a coffee shop, they make a spontaneous pact: in ten years, after they’ve found the success they’re just sure they’re going to achieve, they’ll return to the coffeehouse to partner up and make a film together. The only problem? Olivia neglected to get the stranger’s name. But she doesn’t forget the date.

For the next ten years, every February 4, Olivia has an exceptional day, full of coincidences and ironies. As men come and go and return to her life, and as she continues to write her screenplay, she still wonders about the guy from the coffee shop—the nameless actor she’s almost certain was Hamish McDougal, now a famous member of the Hollywood elite.

But a lot can happen in ten years, and while waiting for the curtain to rise on her fate, the true story of Olivia’s life is being written—and if she’s not careful, she’ll completely miss the epic romance playing out right before her eyes.

I love the cover!
This story follows Olivia Ross for ten years on every February 4th because something happens to her on that date that solidified it as a special day. I thought this concept was pretty cool, it definitely made me want to keep reading to see if the day mention ten years into the future will play out as Olivia hoped.
This is a slow burn, very clean romance – the only thing that happens are a few kisses.
Olivia and Fi’s best friend relationship is the long lasting one in this story. It goes through a few bumps here and there but ultimately they are besties forever.
There are a few men that come into Olivia’s life but Liam was the one that got away – or did he? It’s complicated, let’s just leave it at that.
I thought the plot twist was cute and really unexpected. I was hoping for something bigger but it turned out okay in the end.

I didn’t realize this was Christian fiction until I saw it in the thread in Goodreads. I don’t read Christian fiction but this one was really cute. Thing is, there was nothing about faith in this book, so I’m a bit confused about that. Was it “fate” or “faith” that brings Olivia all the way to February 4, 2013?
As for Olivia’s love life, it was getting a bit tiring for me. Obviously we know who is the best guy for her, and she knows it but always too late and always pushing him away when he is trying to move on? I was getting annoyed with her – I wanted her to make up her mind.

I found this story to be am engaging read especially since every chapter is a February 4th with something interesting always happening to Olivia Ross. Plot Twist is a light hearted, slow burn romance with a very fun and unique premise.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Float Plan by. Trish Doller | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Float Plan

Author: Trish Doller

Format: eBook (Overdrive Library)

Pages: 272

Publication Date: 3/02/21

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Sailing, Grief, Mental Health

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

Love the cover because it’s so bright and yellow. Makes you think of a happy story and yet Anna our main character is dealing with grief throughout the book.
I related to Anna’s grief a lot because I lost my first husband in my late 20’s. So everything she felt, I’ve been through but I like that even though the topic is heavy – Anna being on the water, learning how to sail and navigate foreign waters was therapeutic not only for her as a character but me as a reader. It keep her moving forward, working through the grief and I appreciated that about the story. Also the dog she adopts, Queenie? I wouldn’t have gotten through my grief without my dogs. 💗 They are angels on earth.
Keane, her crew mate and eventually lover is the sweetest. I love how good he is, not only to her, but overall. Even with his own challenges about his past, his kindness is beautiful. Anna needed that.
I found all the sailing terminology go over my head because I am not a sailor but I loved learning what I could and imagining what each part of the boat is. I loved that Anna had to learn to sail because Keane wasn’t in her plans for the path home. She did it, even if she was scared. As for me, I’d suck at sailing ~ I need my comforts like a bed, a shower every day haha and internet but the idea of roughing it out there under the stars every night sounds amazing.
The setting of this book is really fantastic. I’m an island girl, I live in Hawaii, but I’m not a sailor and I have never sailed to any of the islands nearby, I think our waters are very different from the Caribbean where you can reach so many different islands, daily. So I loved island hopping with Anna and Keane! I hope to visit these islands one day and learn more about the history and people that live there. I’m glad they mentioned how the slavery trade made an impact there.

Triggers: triggers, grief, suicide, accident/injury

Even though Anna is grieving I didn’t feel immersed in her grief while reading this, maybe because the sailing keeps her moving. She was never really stuck and I know being stuck and grieving is one of the scariest places to be. So this book didn’t trigger me as much as I thought it would, which I liked!
I do like how Anna and Keane’s relationship progressed very slowly but for the most part, they are friends. They don’t flirt a lot with another, and that’s to respect Anna’s space as she grieves, but when they do get together, I don’t feel explosions – it’s more of a nice melting into one another that they do. It really feels like a friendship that blossoms into love, the sex is an added bonus, but you know it’s deeper than that with both of them. So don’t expect a lot of romance from the beginning of this book ~ this is Anna’s journey of grief.

As a romance book, this one is a slow burn and barely a burn at that, more like a comforting warmth by the end. As a book about a woman grieving her fiance and trying to move her life forward, I think it hit a lot of the right spots. Anna learns to sail and open her heart again on this adventure through the Caribbean. She hits some bumps along the way but ultimately she learns to navigate her life on her own again, with the help of Keane, and for someone who has experienced grief on that level, I found Anna’s journey inspirational.

⛵️ ~ Yolanda